Elizabeth Fazenbaker was born about 1793, daughter of the Hessian soldier George Fazenbaker. She was named on a marriage license with Joseph Warnick on 10/10/1815. The church register of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Cumberland, recorded the marriage of Joseph Warnick and Elizabeth "Fessenbaker" under the date 10/22/1815. Joseph was a brother of William Warnick who married Catharine Fazenbaker.

Elizabeth's father, the pioneer George Fazenbaker, was a settler on Military Lot 3869 when Francis Deakins conducted his survey for the state of Maryland in 1787. The Fazenbaker farm was about two miles north of land owned by Elizabeth's future father-in-law Warnick whose given name was Joseph, just like Elizabeth's future husband. By 1798, George Fazenbaker came to own two other Military Lots, 3858 and 3859, which were less than 1/2 mile northeast of some of the pioneer Joseph Warnick's property. In those days before the automobile, paved roads, or trains, the usual circumstance was for spouses to come from the same neighborhood.

On 2/16/1833, Elizabeth's brother Godfrey Fazenbaker had a deed recorded which described Elizabeth's sale of the share of military lots 3858 and 3859 which she inherited from her father. The deed is unclear whether Elizabeth received $100 from Godfrey, or whether she split that amount with her sister Catharine.

Hoye and Turner wrote about Joseph Warnick in 1938: "Joseph Warnick, Jr., settled on "Warnick's New Settlement" of 400 acres, which was surveyed for Samuel Warnick, 7th June 1824, and patented to him 19th January 1831: it is described as "lying at the head of a run called Bear Pen Run." This settlement was west of Savage River and about three miles south of the present village of New Germany. There was evidently a considerable settlement on this tract at the time of the survey in 1824; the survey notes 2 cabins, 2 small cabins, a flax house, threshing floor (no roof), 1 covered pen (the bear pen) 5886 rails.' Samuel appears to have sold his settlement to his brother Joseph. The "New settlement" is now included in the Meadow Mountain State Forest."

Joseph's widow owned five Military Lots in this same area of Garrett County (i.e., 3882, 3883, 3884, 3885, and 3886). These lots are located around the upper reaches of the impoundment behind Savage River Dam, which was built in the early 1940s after Hoye and Turner wrote their article. These lots may have comprised the home farm on which Joseph and Elizabeth lived, for they were located in that immediate vicinity.

Joseph died 2/17/1867. Living with his widow Elizabeth in 1870 were her son Joseph Warnick, age 36, and two of her grandchildren. In 1876 Elizabeth deeded her five Military Lots to Ashford "Warnack," Joseph "Warnack," Silas "Warnack," and Jane "Broadwaters." The census records showing young Joseph living with Elizabeth, the pension application of Ashford naming young Joseph and his other brothers, and other information show that the three men were some of Elizabeth's sons. The evidence that Jane was a daughter of Elizabeth is circumstantial. Jane's Civil War pension file confirmed that her maiden name was Warnick, and her inclusion in the 1876 deed suggests that she was Elizabeth's daughter. At least one of the Elizabeth's other children, Mary, who was not named in the deed, had previously moved away from the area.

Children of Joseph and Elizabeth: Jane (born about 1817), Mary "Polly" (born about 1820), Emily (born 5/17/1824), Ashford (born 2/12/1827), Silas (born 12/12/1830), and Joseph "Blind Joe," Jr. (born in the mid-1830s).

The historical record of this family is sparse. While an Allegany County marriage license shows that Mary Warnick married Thomas Wilt, and subsequent records of this couple have been found, it is only family tradition, as recorded by the Fazenbaker family historian Mary Rowe, that places Mary in the family of Elizabeth (Fazenbaker) Warnick. Since the births of Elizabeth's six children are spaced so far apart, it is possible that Joseph and Elizabeth had other children missing from this list. Indeed, the 1820 census listed three young girls in Joseph Warnick's household. Two of these were probably Jane Warnick and Mary "Polly" Warnick. Perhaps another of these daughters was Mandana Warnick, who was living with Joseph "Blind Joe" Warnick, Jr. at the time of the 1880 census. It has been reported to the author that Mandana was another of the children of Elizabeth (Fazenbaker) Warnick, and that she married Tom Clark. Nothing more is known. Mary Rowe's record of family tradition also records a daughter Nancy who married a Gilpin, but no public record of such a person has yet been found.

I have compiled a huge amount of information about thousands of descendants of George and Elizabeth Fazenbaker. My book, The Fazenbaker Family of Western Maryland was issued in May 1999. It has 500 pages of text, plus detailed references, an every name index, a number of photos and maps, being in all 853 pages. The book is available for sale. Interested parties should contact me by e-mail for ordering information. Soon, the Fazenbaker book will be available for reference at the Ruth Enlow Library in Grantsville, Maryland and the Library of Congress. Inquiries about western Maryland Fazenbaker families are welcome.

This page was revised November 26, 1999. For more information about western Maryland family history, visit Walt Warnick's Western Maryland Family History Home Pages.